Houdini

Houdini

He wakes up from a deep warm sleep all alone. Startled at first, but nothing is around him. His bright eyes slowly open to scan the room. He lets out a huge yawn; one that would make a giant exhausted, and then begins to stretch. Out goes an arm, then the other. His fingers open and stretch as far as possible. Like he’s reaching for something a mile away. Next come his legs followed by his toes. Slowly he stands for he is in no hurry. He stretches his back high to the sky and sits down again; all the while observing the room. Corner to corner, ceiling to floor, left to right.

He gets out of bed and makes no sound. His footsteps are quiet- that is until he reaches the stairs. The wood on the stairs is weathered. They have been there much longer than he. He scurries down them. Thump, thump, thump, thump. His feet on the wood resemble rain on the roof.

He looks around to see if he is still alone. He is. He is the king and this is his castle. He wanders with grace in every step. His bright green eyes examine everything carefully. He hears something in the distance. What was that? The wind softly making its way through the leaves on a distance tree. His body is still- stiff with fear- his eyes larger- his heart racing.

He approaches the window. (This is his favorite view). He carefully observes the birds and squirrels. He sees the trees swaying with the wind. The details he notices are incredible. He watches a veiny leaf fly across the ground. He hears the birds chirping to one another. He watches a butterfly hoover over tulips on the ground. He observes the squirrels running around on the ground then up the tall oak trees. He wants nothing more than to be outside with them but he knows he is confined to stay inside his quarters.

All of the sudden he hears a loud rumble. He jumps. He knows he has company. Then he sees her. She is tiny. Is she an orphan? Where did she come from? Why is she here? Is she friend or foe? Something he will have to decide. She wants to be friends but he wants nothing to do with her- he is too regal to waste his time with a small wiry peasant. Neither make a sound, only watch each other’s every move.

She walks around him as he watches her. She jumps at the thought of having a new friend and instead frightens him. He has made his decision- she is no friend of his.

Quickly he hurries back upstairs, thump, thump, thump, thump, trying to escape. She follows. Quickly. He is tense. This time she stays away but both watch each other. He wonders where she came from and why she is in his kingdom. This has always been his kingdom and he has never had anyone come into his space. He positions himself in a corner where he can still see her clearly.

His lair is brightly lit. There is not a cloud in the sky as the sun creeps through the windows. Everything is oversized but this is very typical for a king. The walls are rich in color and the furniture is royal. Whenever he is needed, he can always be found in his corner.

As he curls his body, his grey hair shimmers with sun shining through the window. The warm air in the room relaxes him. He begins to fall back asleep. While drifting off, he wonders, “Who is this in my domain?” “When will she be leaving?” “Will we one day get along?”. His last thought before falling asleep, “No, I will always be the king and she will never replace me.”